WarioWare D.I.Y. Users Create Abhorrently Violent Microgames

When given the power of a level editor, nothing seems to be off limits, even in a Nintendo game.

**Warning. This video contains extreme violence. It's cartoon violence, but still may be disturbing for some.**

WarioWare D.I.Y., coming to North America on March 28 alongside the DSi XL, is the latest in the WarioWare series, but D.I.Y. comes with a new twist: a microgame editor that allows your creations to be shared with friends. The Japanese have already taken advantage of the freedom the microgame editor allows to create some very violent minigames that would probably make Shigeru Miyamoto frown.

WarioWare's microgames are called as such because they are too short to be called minigames. Each will last only a few seconds, with players usually having to complete a simple task by pushing a button or two very quickly. It's a lot more fun than it may sound, as these tasks sometimes require the picking of a nose or the flipping of an omelet.

WarioWare D.I.Y. has been available in Japan for almost a year now, under the title Made in Ore. The editor is actually pretty deep, giving players the power to create graphics and sounds. By now, Japanese gamers must have created many cute microgames filled with bunnies and rainbows, right? No.

As seen in the accompanying video, WarioWare D.I.Y. can be used to create really, really violent microgames. The least violent involves a guy simply being shot by a sniper rifle. Some other examples include a man being mauled with a chainsaw, Mario gunning down Princess Peach with an automatic weapon, and a decapitation with a saw. Though these are cartoony and use stick figures, they still creep me out a little.

I commend Nintendo for coming up with the great idea of adding a level editor into the WarioWare series, and for actually giving players the power to use more than stock art. I'm just wondering if the company didn't get in over its head here. I know I'll be sticking to microgames about unicorns that grant wishes to children, but these violent microgames are likely only the beginning of some potentially very nasty stuff that will be created by others without a mindset such as mine.